That's all I can tell you…just know that I need your help, Kayla.
Kayla Ryan forced her friend's desperate words from her head. She had to concentrate.
She blinked as a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. With her full attention and her weapon focused on the corner of the building at the end of the alleyway, she took a moment to consider the scenario. Her target had taken cover around that corner. She wondered vaguely if he understood yet that he was trapped. He'd rushed away from the scene of the crime and into this alley to evade capture. But this particular alley dead-ended at a twenty-foot brick wall. Scaling it without the proper gear would be pretty much impossible. This guy had to be from out of town.
Kayla risked a glance behind her and wished like hell that backup would arrive. But in her gut she knew that in all probability she would have to handle him on her own. Crimes like robbery rarely occurred in the small town of Athens, Arizona. Creeps and criminals found the offerings in the larger cities of Casa Grande, Tucson and Phoenix much more to their liking. At times the sheriff's department was spread a little thin covering all the small towns and communities of Pinal County.
It wasn't as though she'd had time to order takeout and sit around waiting for backup. With most of the shops closed for the evening, she and her partner had conducted a final cruise through town before calling it a night when she'd noticed the suspicious activity outside Mullins Diamond Shop. Two suspects had fled the scene on foot, each going in a different direction — and each carrying a bag no doubt containing snatched goods.
That was the thing about late summer in Arizona — the intense heat brought out the crazies.
Dammit. She had an appointment to keep. She could either go in after this guy or wait for him to realize he couldn't escape and come charging out. He was armed. Desperate.
Better to make an offensive maneuver than a defensive one, her favorite instructor back at the police academy always said. Keeping her precision aim steady, she flattened herself against the wall and moved silently toward the corner where she'd watched her target disappear only seconds ago. A smile slid across her lips when the distinct sound of a muttered curse hissed through the night air. He'd no doubt just encountered that towering brick wall.
Adrenaline surged through Kayla's veins as she reached the corner — all that stood between her and an armed perp. Her heart rate remained amazingly calm, her respiration even. She'd learned long ago, well before the police academy, how to control her responses in any given situation. Athena Academy, the private school located on the edge of Athens that she'd attended as a young girl, had taught her a great deal more than academics. It had prepared her well for achieving the grade of lieutenant in record time in the sheriff's department.
The thought of her old school made her think of Rainy. I need your help, Kayla.
Kayla didn't have to look at her watch to know it was almost time. Her friend's urgency sang in her blood…a song of danger…of fear. Something was very, very wrong.
Leather slipping against fired clay echoed in the darkness. He was trying to climb the wall. Now was her chance…maybe the only one she would get.
Her grip tightened on her police-issue weapon as she eased around the corner, her gaze cutting through the darkness and instantly locating her target. The glow from a distant streetlamp provided just enough illumination for her to see that he'd abandoned his booty from the jewelry shop in an attempt to hasten his escape.
Not going to happen.
"Drop your weapon," Kayla ordered. He stopped dead still as the sound of her weapon cocking bounced off the enclosing walls, conveying a lethal message.
The man, tall and thin but seemingly athletically built, held up both hands in the universal gesture of surrender, but the handgun remained clenched in his right.
"Drop your weapon and assume the position," she ordered, moving forward one cautious step at a time. He would make a move. She sensed it with every fiber of her being. The only question was whether or not she could get close enough to counter the move before it was too late.
"Whatever you say, officer," he said. He tried to sound frightened but Kayla heard the underlying confidence in his tone. He wasn't afraid…he was certain. Certain he had the situation under control.
Another smile tickled her lips. She might be young and she was definitely female, both of which he likely considered to be to his advantage, but she was an Athena graduate.
He moved.
The whole scene lapsed into slow motion as he lowered his arms while simultaneously turning around one infinitesimal increment at a time. She lunged forward, moving closer to the danger, needing to put herself within striking distance in advance of his planned maneuver.
His gaze locked with hers in the near darkness and in that instant she realized that her instincts were right on the money. The business end of his weapon swung in her direction but she was ready for the attempt. Her right foot came up in a swift, smooth action that knocked the weapon from his hand before he could release the trigger he had depressed. The gun flew through the air, the round discharging from the barrel and ricocheting past the back of Kayla's head as she engaged the perp in a hand-to-hand exchange.
She twisted, artfully tripping the man, who outweighed her by a good fifty pounds. They went down. The air hissed through his clenched teeth when they hit the ground. But he wasn't done yet. Using his one advantage — his weight — he rolled and pinned her to the ground.
He struggled to gain control of her weapon. She tossed it beyond his reach…as well as her own. Her heart rate kicked into a higher gear, pumping the fueling adrenaline to her muscles. She shoved against his chest and distracted him with an attempt at kneeing him in the groin.
The bastard made an evasive move and laughed. "Whoa now, little lady, no need to make this personal." He slammed her back against the concrete. She allowed it, let him feel as if he'd gained the upper hand. "You definitely don't want to do that."
His smile dimmed when she chuckled good-naturedly. "You're right. I don't want to do that." Before he could fathom her intent she'd landed a blow to his larynx that would disable a charging bull. Both his hands went to his throat as he gasped for breath and flailed to get away from her.
Kayla rolled to her feet, retrieved her weapon and reholstered it, since deadly force definitely would not be necessary. She grabbed his right arm and pinned it behind his back to snap a cuff into place.
"You have the right to remain silent," she told him as she clicked the matching metal bracelet on his left wrist. "If you give up this right —" she assisted him to an upright position "— I might just have to kick your ass again." She leaned close to his ear. "We wouldn't want the boys on the cell block you're going to call home for the next five-to-ten to get wind of that, now would we?"
The sound of a wailing siren in the distance signaled backup was close. She didn't give her collar a chance to respond to the rhetorical question as she shoved him toward the street. To her extreme relief, her partner was leading his collared creep in the direction of the arriving cavalry, as well. If she were lucky, he'd take care of the final booking and report. She had only one thing on her mind now. Getting to Athena Academy…to her friend…for the promise.
The promise. That sacred vow seemed so long ago now. More than a decade had passed since the Cassandras, as she and her closest friends at Athena Academy had been called, had promised to come together, no questions asked, if any one of them called for help. Rainy had made that call.
Intense emotions surged in Kayla as she thought of Rainy. She had been the fearless leader of the orientation group that Kayla had been assigned to during her first year at Athena Academy. Kayla shook her head. Poor Rainy'd had her work cut out for her with that ragtag bunch, but by the end of the year the Cassandras had taken top honors in the friendly competition between the various orientation groups. No one at the prestigious all-girl school had been better.
Kayla arrived at Athena Academy with barely five minutes to spare. As she emerged from her Jeep, she experienced a pleasant moment of déjà vu. A smile spread across her lips. Athena Academy might be a cutting-edge college preparatory school for women, but to her it would always feel like home. She'd spent her most vulnerable teenage years here, forming bonds that would last a lifetime, learning lessons that would guide her to her fullest potential.
But tonight wasn't about reliving old memories, it was about keeping a promise. The Cassandra promise.
Kayla surveyed the narrow street that meandered between the bungalows that served as housing for academy staffers. She didn't see Rainy's car. Kayla had allowed too much time to pass without having had a decent visit with her fellow classmates and beloved friends.
Kayla's smile widened to a grin as she made her way up the flagstone walk. How lucky she'd been to get to be a part of this academy. Money couldn't buy one's way into this place — it was by invitation only. Athena was a prep school like no other, designed specifically for the advancement of women. The school kept a low profile and yet the very best students graduated from the Athena Academy, most having earned the option of attending the university of their choice. The alumni were the cream of the cream of the crop.
Her smile sagged a little when she considered that she had taken a misstep or two in her own personal path before graduating from the academy. But that was behind her; she had no real regrets. Her smile pushed back into place. She wouldn't trade her daughter for anything, and the choices of her youth had given her that sweetheart of a kid.
Anticipation seared through her as she rapped on the front door of Athena principal Christine Evans's bungalow. It would be good to see the gang again. A couple of the girls couldn't make it, but…Alex would be here.
Kayla swallowed back the new emotion clogging her throat. She and Alex hadn't spoken in years. That needed to change and someone had to make the first move. It might as well be Kayla. Life was too short to let something as stupid as what the two of them had argued about cause a lifetime rift. One way or another she would make this right. The promise mayday that Rainy had set in motion might just work for more than one urgent situation.
The door opened and Christine Evans regarded Kayla through her good eye. Before becoming the academy's principal, Christine had been an officer in the U.S. Army. She had left the armed forces after a training exercise left her blind in one eye. The army's loss had been Athena's gain. She greeted Kayla with a weary smile that pretty much looked pinned in place. The fall semester would start soon. All Athena staff members would be busy with enrollment and other preparations for the new term. Christine likely had her hands full.
"Kayla, come in." Christine stepped back, drawing the door open a little wider. "Alex is here already."
"Great." Kayla braced herself and moved inside. "Hey, Alex," she offered, certain her own smile now looked as feigned as Christine's had. Suddenly her determination to make amends wavered as she faced Alex's usual aloof presence. Still gorgeous with her long, curly red hair and fine features, Alex stared through blue eyes that remained as cool as ever.
Alex stood near the sofa, a cup of tea in hand. As gracefully as a queen, she deftly set her cup and saucer on the table and offered Kayla a nod of acknowledgement. "It's good to see you, Kayla."
The absolute last of the enthusiasm for setting things right that Kayla had felt only moments ago evaporated beneath her old friend's contained demeanor. Same old Alex. Don't let a single emotion show. Her elegant, blue-blood upbringing would not permit such a crack in her controlled exterior. They'd been so close once. Suddenly it felt like centuries ago rather than scarcely more than a decade.
Kayla glanced around the room, anything to ease the tension. "Rainy isn't here yet?"
Christine pushed a strand of graying hair from her brow and sighed. "She should have been here by now. I tried calling but got her voice mail."
That surprised Kayla. Rainy didn't like being out of touch. As an attorney she couldn't afford to be out of reach for long. She was too dedicated…too caring. That's all I can tell you…. The urgency in Rainy's tone when she'd called Kayla reverberated through her now.
"Tea, Kayla?"
Kayla tamped down her growing uneasiness. "No, thanks."
"I'm sorry about your grandmother," Alex said abruptly. "I'd been out of town when I finally heard. I didn't know until more than a week after the funeral."
Kayla managed a nod of appreciation. At least that was something. A kind of baby step toward where they once were. "Thank you. I really miss her." An awkward stretch of silence set her instincts further on edge. "Did Rainy give either of you any indication of what this is about?"
Christine shook her head. "She was quite vague."
"She indicated that it was urgent, nothing more," Alex added.
When Kayla would have pursued the subject, a brisk knock at the front door drew their collective attention in that direction. Relief slid through her. Rainy was never late. Kayla glanced at her watch. It was eight on the dot. This had to be her.
But it wasn't.
No matter how many times Kayla entered the hospital to visit a friend or family member, an accident victim or injured perpetrator in an ongoing case, she never got used to the smell. The scent of pain and sickness. The looming threat of death.
She shook off the unsettling thought and strode to the ER admittance desk. "I'm Lieutenant Kayla Ryan, Pinal County Sheriff's Department. You have an MVA victim, Lorraine Carrington. I'd like an update on her condition and to see her if possible."
The instant the ER duty nurse's gaze locked with hers, Kayla felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.
"I'll see if the doctor is available," the nurse said, her tone and her face carefully schooled.
"Oh, God."
Kayla turned to Alex, who stood at her side. The color had drained from her face, leaving her deathly pale.
"This isn't good, Kayla," she murmured, her blue eyes suspiciously bright with the emotion she usually kept tightly compartmentalized.
Kayla nodded jerkily. Speech wasn't possible. She didn't turn toward the others who waited in the lobby's seating area with little Charlie. If she looked now, her whole expression would give away the truth she feared she was about to learn.
This couldn't be happening.
Not Rainy.
I need your help, Kayla.
For the first time in more than ten years Kayla took Alex's hand and squeezed it briefly, needing the reassurance. She felt Alex's fingers tremble but she held on for a moment before letting go. Whatever had happened, they would all face it together. Kayla had to have faith that God would not take someone as wonderful as Rainy from them. She couldn't lose another person she loved this soon. Losing her grandmother four months ago had been tough enough. The memories flashed one over the other through her mind, sharpened by the medicinal smells thick in the air.
"Lieutenant Ryan?"
Kayla turned to face the male voice. "Yes." She stepped toward the harried-looking physician who waited a few feet away.
"I'm Dr. Buckley."
"You can give me an update on Ms. Carrington's condition?"
The dull look in his gray eyes remained constant as the doctor conveyed the news. Kayla would consider later that he'd probably done this hundreds of times and had learned to block any and all emotion in order to cope.
"Mrs. Carrington's condition was critical when she arrived. She coded twice en route. Complete cardiac arrest occurred before we could get her stabilized. Attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful. We did everything we could."
The words stabbed into Kayla. "Marshall," she murmured. "We should call Marshall." Next to her, Alex stood rigid, as if made of cold, unyielding stone.
"Mr. Carrington is here already," the doctor explained. "He's…with his wife. I'll let him know you're here."
Kayla nodded, not even aware that Christine and the others had moved up behind her until she heard Darcy's sob.
They held each other and grieved softly…the women who had loved Rainy. The women whose lives would never be the same with her gone.
"Kayla."
She looked up and immediately broke free from the group to take Marshall Carrington into her arms. There was no adequate way to describe the devastation on his face…in his posture. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice trembling with the pain twisting in her gut.
"I can't believe she's gone…I don't understand," he said softly.
Kayla drew back and settled her gaze on his. "Can you tell me what happened? I know this isn't a good time but —"
The tall, strong man, whose all-American good looks had swept Rainy off her feet, shrugged listlessly. "They don't know. The patrolman said it looked as if she just ran off the road. No skid marks. No other vehicle involved. Nothing." He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense."
Kayla analyzed all that he said, considered the ramifications. "I'll find out exactly what happened, Marshall." This couldn't be real. Rainy couldn't be gone. "Have you called her parents?" She could only imagine the horror they would feel. Rainy was their only child.
He nodded, his visage wrapped in agony. "Just now. They're flying in from California on the first available flight."
"I want to see her."
Kayla turned to Alex. As a forensics scientist for the FBI, Alex was trained for this sort of thing. But this was Rainy.
"Alex, that might not —"
"I want to see her," she said more firmly. "I want to see her, and I want an autopsy."
The seemingly innocuous seven-letter word jerked Kayla's emotions to a whole new level. Alex was right. Marshall's words rang in Kayla's ears. No skid marks. No other vehicle involved. Rainy was a cautious driver. A good driver. This wasn't right.
"I agree," Kayla heard herself say as if her brain were working on autopilot. "Rainy is…" She cleared her throat. "Rainy was a good driver. I can't see her just driving off the road."
Marshall scrubbed a hand over his weary, tearstained face. "Dear God, do they really have to do that to her?"
"I'm sorry." Kayla's heart went out to him. "It is necessary, and it's the law since the full circumstances of her death are unclear. Try not to focus on that part. We need to understand all we can about what happened."
"How fast do you think we can get an autopsy scheduled?" Alex directed her question to Kayla.
She held out her hands in a gesture of uncertainty. This sort of complication rarely arose in her jurisdiction. Technically, the accident wasn't her jurisdiction, but the victim's identity made it her personal business. "I can try for tomorrow. It being Sunday may present a problem, but I'll do what I can."
"I'd like to sit in," Alex stated firmly.
After considering the idea, Kayla nodded. "I know Rainy would want that." She turned back to Marshall. "We'll get to the bottom of what happened."
Kayla's gaze collided with Alex's and her certainty solidified. They might never know why Rainy had needed them tonight, might never be able to fulfill that promise, but this was one thing they could do. The questions surrounding Rainy's manner of death would be resolved. Kayla made that silent promise to her friend.
I won't let you down, Rainy.
With the most immediate painful decisions behind them, Kayla's thoughts went to her daughter. It was getting late. She should call her sister…she really should get home to Jazz. But Marshall…
"Darcy and I both have late night flights out," Josie said, regret heavy in her voice. "I wish there was more we could do."
"We'll take care of things here," Kayla assured, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. "Alex or I will call you the moment we know anything new." She needed to touch base with Sam and Tory, the two Cassandras who hadn't made it tonight, as well…they would have to know. God, this just couldn't be real. Her chest tightened with hurt. But it was.
Marshall glanced at the wide double doors that led back into the ER. Rainy was likely still in there, waiting to be transferred to the morgue.
"I should stay here," he said softly, his wistful vulnerability palpable. The woman he loved, his wife — his mate — was gone. A part of him would long to stay near her until every essence of her vanished completely, but that would only drag out the inevitable.
"There's nothing else you can do here," Alex offered gently. "Go home, Marshall. You have the Millers to pick up and the funeral arrangements to make. Get some rest. Kayla and I will take care of Rainy."
With a little more cajoling, Marshall reluctantly agreed and walked out of the hospital alone. The utter sadness of it sent a new onslaught of tears cresting on Kayla's lashes.
Alex waited for an opportunity between patients to speak with Dr. Buckley once more. Kayla put in the necessary calls to try to prompt the medical examiner's office into a priority autopsy. Whether it was the Carrington name or simply Kayla's dogged insistence, the rush request went through. The autopsy would be performed at nine a.m. the next morning. Alex would observe. That was all that any of them could do tonight. The body would be transferred to the new morgue facility in Casa Grande. At one time they'd had to use Phoenix or Tucson for autopsies, but now, Pinal County had its own medical examiner with a state-of-the-art facility right in Casa Grande.
The drive back to Christine's bungalow passed in heavy silence. Alex insisted on going to Casa Grande and staying in a hotel to be ready for the autopsy the following morning. Josie, Darcy and Charlie would pick up their rental car at Christine's and head for the airport. They sat in the backseat now, like her, uncertain how to open a conversation. Maybe it was better not to try.
Kayla considered at least a dozen times all the things she should say but nothing felt right enough.
When Christine braked in front of their final destination, Kayla tendered the only words she felt absolutely certain of. "Call me if you need anything. I'll keep you up to speed on my end."
They exchanged hugs and more tears before parting. Christine looked so alone Kayla almost hated to leave her. But she had to get home to Jazz.
It occurred to Kayla as she drove away from Athena Academy, emotions roiling inside her, that Alex hadn't asked about Jazz. Both Darcy and Josie had.
But she and Alex hadn't discussed Jazz in…more than a decade. Jazz's father was the reason they'd had their falling out. That seemed so insignificant now. So damned insignificant. Rainy was dead. Kayla couldn't help thinking that anything could happen to her…to Alex…and then it would be too late to make amends. But how could she bridge that gap alone?
She drove away, emotions still churning inside her. She'd taken the first step toward reaching out to Alex. The next move was up to her.
It was nearly midnight when Kayla parked in front of her sister's neat stucco home. The living room light glowed invitingly through the darkness. Kayla didn't move for a time. She let the weariness wash over her and considered how unfair life could be. Rainy was so young and so good. Now she was gone. That reality made the everyday complaints in Kayla's life seem insignificant. She should be thankful. It wasn't so awful that she'd had to raise Jazz all alone.
Wait. She hadn't really been alone, she amended. Her parents and her sister had helped tremendously. Even her brother pitched in from time to time. A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips as she thought of how much her grandmother had loved teaching Jazz the ways of the Navajo people. She'd lived on the reservation until the day she took her last breath. Kayla had no right to complain. With the exception of Jazz's dad, who had at least paid child support all these years, life had been good to Kayla. And, in all fairness, if she hadn't fallen in love at sixteen, she wouldn't have Jazz.
Nope. She was damned lucky. She was alive and she had her daughter and family. It was past time she started counting her blessings.
Mary met Kayla at the door. "Oh, honey, it's so late, why don't you just leave her? I'll get her to church in the morning." Mary was two years older than Kayla but the similarities between them were remarkable. As kids, they'd often been mistaken for twins. But Mary had inherited the most nurturing genes. Kayla, well, she'd apparently absorbed all the bossy, kick-butt genes that went way back in her heritage.
Kayla knew that would be the right thing to do, but she couldn't bear the thought of going twenty-four hours without seeing her daughter. "I couldn't do that, Mar, you know that. I have to cuddle up with her at night." Kayla smiled. Jazz might be eleven years old, but she was still her mother's baby.
Her sister pulled her inside and locked the door behind her. "Then you'll sleep here, Ms. Policewoman. You'll crawl into that bed and snuggle up with your child without dragging her out into the night."
"Thanks." How had she gotten so lucky as to have a big sister like Mary?
"I spoke to Jim," Mary said softly as she and Kayla walked arm in arm through the quiet house. "He told me about your friend."
Jim Harkey was her partner. He was big, tall and could be as mean as a junkyard dog when necessary. But she knew the truth. Inside, he was just a big, cuddly teddy bear. Mum was the word, however. Her partner had a reputation to maintain. He'd likely heard about Rainy when he booked those creeps who'd busted into the jewelry shop tonight. Jeez, that felt so long ago now.
"I still can't believe it," Kayla whispered on a sigh. "It doesn't feel possible."
They paused outside the guest room. "There are reasons for everything, Kayla. Perhaps you will discover one of great importance for this tragedy."
Kayla hugged her sister and exchanged good-nights but didn't comment on Mary's suggestion. In her heart there would never be a good enough reason for Rainy's death. Not ever.
Jazz slept soundly as her mother crept into the room. A glimmer of moonlight filtered through the crack between the curtains, illuminating Jasmine's sweet face. Her dark brown hair was long like Kayla's. She took pleasure in braiding it each morning before school. There wasn't a thing about the child that looked like her father, except Jazz's hazel eyes.
As Kayla stripped off her clothes and crawled into the warm bed with her baby, she allowed the memories of a smooth-talking, good-looking young air force officer to tumble through her mind. He was the reason she would never again trust her heart to a man. No man deserved that much trust.
Kayla would depend only on herself and her family. She would teach Jazz to do the same. Life was too full of uncertainties to trust anyone else that much. She thought of Alex and Rainy and the others. Well, maybe there were some exceptions.
But Rainy was gone.
That sixth sense that all good cops possessed nagged at her. Something about Rainy's accident was wrong. All wrong. Kayla would find the truth, and Alex would help her. They would do it for Rainy…for the promise.
The next afternoon Kayla's cell phone vibrated just as she and her daughter were exiting the church they had attended every single Sunday of Jazz's life.
"Get in the Jeep and buckle up," she said to her daughter as she fished for her phone.
Jazz, looking especially pretty in her white dress and sandals with her dark hair swinging around her shoulders, loaded herself into the passenger side of the Jeep without protest. Her baby girl had grown into a real sweetheart of an adolescent. She hadn't developed that I-know-everything attitude a lot of kids her age appeared to have.
Kayla flipped open her phone. "Ryan."
"Kayla, it's Alex."
Kayla stilled near the driver's-side door. "Hey, Alex. You have news for me already?"
"There are more tests to be performed but I do have some unexpected preliminary findings we need to discuss."
The somber tone of Alex's voice was far more telling than her words.
"I'm listening."
Kayla braced against the Jeep as Alex continued. "Do you remember Rainy telling us about her appendectomy?"
"Sure." They'd been talking about medical procedures for a CPR unit. Rainy had joked about her "beauty scar." The memory brought with it another pang of loss. Their friend was gone…forever.
"Didn't happen."
Alex's simplistic statement startled Kayla. "What do you mean?"
"Rainy's appendix was still intact."
That uneasy feeling she'd had since learning that Rainy was dead ratcheted up a notch. "You're the expert," Kayla offered. "How can that be?"
A moment of silenced stretched across the phone line. "Obviously someone misunderstood Rainy's medical condition. I'm going to contact Christine and have her check Rainy's medical records at the academy."
Kayla was certain that Rainy wouldn't have lied about having her appendix out. She'd been proud of surviving surgery. And they'd all seen the scar.
"Okay." Kayla straightened away from the Jeep. "I'm going to check out the site of the accident and take a look at the car. The accident actually belongs to Casa Grande, but I went to the police academy with some of those guys. They won't mind if I take a look."
"Keep me posted on what you find," Alex urged, then hesitated before adding, "Look, Kayla, I'm probably going to be here most of the day. Check on Marshall, would you?" "I spoke with him already. He was hanging in there. The Millers arrived early this morning. I'd planned to talk to him again today after he's had a chance to spend some time with Rainy's parents." Kayla rubbed her eyes with her finger and thumb. She'd barely slept at all last night. "I'll ask him if Rainy kept a medical file at home."
"There's something else." Alex's sigh was audible. "There was some serious scarring on her ovaries. It's not so uncommon, but there would have been signs of trouble. Abdominal pains and the like. I can't remember Rainy ever complaining about problems of that nature. It would create difficulties in conceiving. That's something we should look for in medical records, as well."
Since Rainy and Marshall hadn't had children as of yet, Kayla couldn't help wondering if that might be the reason. Something else for her to check out.
"I'll see what I can find out from her personal physician, as well." Kayla flashed her patient daughter a smile through the window. "I'll call you later."
"Good. I'd better get back in there."
Kayla started to say goodbye but then remembered, "Hey, I called Sam and Tory this morning to let them know." Samantha, or Sam, St. John and Victoria, or Tory, Patton were the other two Cassandras. "As much as I hated to, I had to leave messages." Tory was likely out of the country on a story. Her growing acclaim as a TV reporter kept her on the trail of the hottest-breaking news. Sam was in the CIA. 'Nuff said.
"God, I hadn't even thought of calling them."
Kayla heard the vulnerability in Alex's voice, felt it in her own heart. "Take care of Rainy. Make sure it's done right, Alex. We're going to find out what really happened."
A quiet moment passed between them. Memories, good and bad. But they had the promise. That would hold them together through this.
Two hours later with Jazz happily ensconced at Kayla's mother's, Kayla donned her weapon and drove to the crash site. She concluded the same thing the investigating officer had: Rainy had fallen asleep at the wheel. There were no skid marks, no indication of Rainy having braked or even slowed down. She'd simply driven off the road.
Rainy was too smart to do something so stupid. There had to be something else Kayla couldn't see. Considering Rainy's urgent calls to her friends, it wasn't impossible that she had been in some sort of trouble that would put her in danger.
Why would anyone want to hurt Rainy in any way? It didn't make sense. She'd always been straight as an arrow. Never got into trouble. Could Rainy have gotten into something dangerous because of her profession? As an attorney, she'd won lawsuits that had hurt a few big corporations financially. Kayla couldn't dismiss that possibility.
Determined to find out all she could about the accident itself, Kayla parked in front of the county forensics lab just outside Casa Grande. Police work was never done. Even the labs worked 24/7. Kayla didn't anticipate problems getting what she wanted. She knew a couple of the techs at the lab and it just so happened that one of them was on duty this afternoon. He would be more than happy to share the preliminary findings of his report with her. He'd been after her for a date for ages.
"Anything to get the job done," Kayla muttered as she made her way into the reception area of the lab.
Fred Kaiser wasn't a handsome guy but he was smart and friendly. He stood an inch or so shorter than Kayla and had a mop of blond hair that always looked in need of combing. But the kind gray eyes behind the coke bottle eyeglass lenses told the tale. He was a nice guy, a guy who cared about others and his work. Within moments of Kayla's request to see him he was in the lobby looking his usual unkempt self. His perpetually overlarge white lab coat hung from his scrawny frame. Worn denim jeans and scuffed white sneakers completed the picture.
"I'm really sorry about your friend," he said automatically. Jim again, no doubt. He'd likely passed the word around the county sheriff's department. Folks in the business kept close tabs on each other.
"Thanks. I'm having a difficult time coming to terms with it."
Fred nodded, then waved the papers in his hands as if he'd just remembered having them. "The report isn't complete yet, but I have preliminary findings if you'd like to discuss them."
Kayla gave him the warmest smile she could muster under present circumstances. "That'd be great."
She followed him to his office, beyond the doors marked Restricted Access, and settled into a chair next to him. After he'd listed the condition of the vehicle and commented on the scene as written in the investigating officer's report, he finally got to the part Kayla wanted to hear.
"Frankly, the car's condition wasn't that bad. Given the severity of the victim's injuries —" He winced. "Sorry."
"I understand what you mean," she said in hopes of encouraging him to continue. Even with her throat so tight she could scarcely breathe and her heart pounding in her chest, she had to hear the rest.
Fred pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. "As I was saying, the vehicle was relatively new with all the right safety features, including an airbag. Since the victim ended up being tossed out of the car I assumed that maybe she hadn't worn her seatbelt." When Kayla would have objected, he continued, "But I wanted to be sure." His gray gaze locked firmly with Kayla's. "The front driver's seatbelt doesn't work properly. All the others in the vehicle function perfectly, just not that one."
"So you're saying the seatbelt malfunctioned, which is why she's dead. She would have survived otherwise."
Fred shrugged. "Judging by the condition of the vehicle, I'd say yes, she would have."
Kayla swallowed hard. "The seatbelt is to blame then." Every instinct screamed at her that this was far too pat…far too easy. Maybe she just didn't want something this stupid and seemingly insignificant to be the answer. Rainy's life was far too important for it to end on a note of momentary carelessness.
"Well." He flipped through his pages once more. "That's probably what the official report will indicate, but I don't know, Kayla. Generally when seatbelts are bad, they're all bad. As in, the belts for every vehicle of that model. You rarely find one that malfunctions like that. It's not that it can't happen — it's that it is highly unusual. But I can't find any indications that it has been tampered with."
Kayla sat up straighter. "But that would be your first guess," she prodded.
He heaved a heavy breath. "You'd better not tell anyone I said this, but I'd be more inclined to believe that it had been tampered with than I would that this one seatbelt failed for no good reason. I couldn't find the first defect in it and there are no recalls from the manufacturer. But I can't prove that it was tampered with, either."
She put her hand on his arm reassuringly. "Don't sweat it. I trust your instincts, Fred." Another thought gave her a moment's pause. "That's a very thorough report. You always work so fast?" She masked the question with a wide smile.
He shuffled his feet, embarrassed by her compliment. "Have to when it's a priority case."
Kayla's uneasiness sharpened. Priority? Who'd made it a priority case and why?
I need your help, Kayla.
Somehow this was all tied together. Rainy's urgency in invoking the promise and her death.
Kayla had to continue her investigation with the person closest to Rainy: the man who loved her.
Kayla called Marshall several times en route, finally reaching him when she was almost there. When she arrived at Rainy and Marshall's lovely two-story Southwestern home in Tucson, Marshall was waiting on the front steps. Kayla took a moment to study his weary frame before emerging from her Jeep. Still young and virile at thirty-five, today Marshall looked tired and far older. His usually broad shoulders were rounded with pain, his handsome face lined with that same emotion.
Though she'd fallen hard for a man once, she'd never known the kind of love and commitment that Rainy and Marshall had shared. She could only imagine how much the loss must hurt on a level that went far beyond the friendship that Kayla and Rainy had shared. Utter devastation. How did people get past this kind of hurt? she wondered as she got out and moved toward him.
"I'm sorry to bother you like this, Marshall," she said softly, a ton of guilt suddenly weighing heavy on her shoulders. Here was a man who needed to grieve his loss and she had come to rehash it.
But it had to be done.
"It's all right. Rainy's parents have gone out to look at the cemetery I suggested." Marshall shrugged. "I don't know if they'll even go there at all. I think they just needed to get out of the house. Drive around." He opened the front door and gestured for her to go in ahead of him. "I can't accept this." He paused in the entry hall and leveled a surprisingly clear, steady gaze on Kayla. "It just doesn't make sense. How could she just go to sleep at the wheel? She never did things like that. Never even fell asleep during a bad movie."
Understanding exactly what he meant, Kayla nodded, opting to go slowly with her questions. "May I see her office?" She knew that the highly organized Rainy had kept a home office. She'd always been meticulous in her file keeping.
Marshall gave a little jerk of his head then led the way to Rainy's office just past the family den. "I don't know what might be important," he said as he stepped aside for her to enter. "Feel free to look at anything. We have no secrets from you, Kayla."
The statement struck Kayla as a little odd, but then this was a difficult time. There might be no hidden motivation for the words. Kayla gave herself a mental shake. What was she thinking? She refused to lend even an iota of credence to the usual theory that the spouse should be the first suspect. Not in this case. No way.
Kayla settled behind Rainy's desk, tamping down the emotions that tried to take control. "Why don't you tell me anything that was going on in Rainy's life that you feel might be relevant? Something perhaps she hadn't shared with her friends." As she waited for Marshall to consider her request, she carefully reviewed the contents of each drawer. The top of Rainy's desk looked as it always did, neat and polished with a picture of her and her husband in a prominent position. True love. How many people actually found it?
"Had she mentioned that we'd been trying to conceive for about two years now?"
Kayla hesitated in her methodical inventory and contemplated the question. Rainy had wanted children. She'd made no secret of that. "She mentioned that the two of you wanted to start a family." Kayla couldn't quite remember Rainy making such an announcement. It was something she'd simply known.
Marshall dropped heavily into the closest chair. He exhaled a breath fraught with emotion. "There was a problem," he began, as if it pained him to speak of the subject. He flicked a look in Kayla's direction. "It wasn't on my part. It was Rainy. Dr. Deborah Halburg here in Tucson had started treatments more than a year ago, but we still hadn't been able to conceive. The only thing the treatments caused was mood swings."
He fell silent for a moment. Kayla continued her survey of Rainy's files, though a part of her wanted to move around that desk and hold him. Marshall had always held a special place in her heart. Maybe because he'd managed to capture Rainy's. Like the other Cassandras, Kayla had idolized Rainy since they were kids. She represented everything they had hoped to be.
Kayla's fingers encountered a file folder marked Fertility Research. She shifted her full attention back to her search. The well-worn folder was empty. Kayla frowned as she asked, "Did Dr. Halburg prescribe anything for the mood swings?"
Marshall scrubbed his brow as if trying to dig up the information. "Yes…yes, she did. Rainy didn't want to take it on the off chance that she got pregnant."
That left the question of how the two of them had handled the mood swings. She hated making him relive all this, but it was necessary. "What sort of complications did the mood swings create?" Kayla paused in her search. Several folders were empty. All related to Rainy's health and the fertility treatments. Another folder simply marked Research captured her attention. It was empty, as well.
As Kayla tried to shove the file back into the hanging slip, it snagged. She pulled the manila folder free and peered into the slip. A document had gotten stuck under the folder. She tugged it out and smoothed it so she could read it. "Egg mining." The page was one of ten according to the header, but one was all that remained. After a brief overview of the content, Kayla paused to think. The egg-mining procedure consisted of removing eggs from the ovaries, which often resulted in scarring. Alex's words about Rainy's ovaries echoed in Kayla's ears.
"I can't believe I let it get to this point," Marshall was saying. "I should have seen it. Paid more attention to her. The affair —"
"What?" Kayla's head came up. What was he saying? "What affair?"
Marshall's eyes looked suspiciously bright. "With David Gracelyn. The two of them had an affair years ago. I believe…they'd started the affair again…since things were so tense between the two of us." Marshall dropped his head into his hands. "I should have done more. I should have made her feel complete."
Kayla went to him, crouched down in front of him and wrapped her fingers around his arms. "Marshall, Rainy loved you. I can't believe she'd have an affair with anyone." If Rainy had had an affair with David Gracelyn, surely Kayla would have known. "The two of you had the perfect marriage."
He lifted his head and looked at her, tears shining on his chiseled cheeks. "I couldn't make her happy. Not lately."
Kayla simply couldn't believe that Rainy would not be happy with this dynamic man. She put her arms around him and hugged him. "Don't think that way. Do you hear me, Marshall? Rainy loved you."
His arms went around her and Kayla at last let her emotions get the best of her. She didn't mean for it to happen…it simply did. After a few minutes of tears and murmured words, she finally drew back and swiped her eyes. His arms remained tight around her and for just one moment the spark of attraction burned through Kayla. She cared for Marshall, would do most anything to lift this awful hurt from him.
For one split second she saw need in his eyes, and her heart stumbled. She pulled free and stood, trembled as she silently railed at herself. Allowing this to turn into something other than comfort would be a mistake. She had no right to feel anything even remotely related to attraction for her friend's husband. What the hell was wrong with her?
"I'm sorry, Kayla," he said, pushing to his feet. "I…I just need…"
God, had he felt her need, as well? Later, when he could think clearly again, the last thing she wanted was for him to think back on this moment and feel guilty. "It's okay, Marshall. We're all feeling out of sorts right now. We miss Rainy."
He nodded…looked so damned lost.
She had to focus…had to conduct this investigation like any other. Setting aside the uneasy tension that had somehow gotten out of hand, she gathered her wits and considered where they had left off. An affair. No way. The concept of Rainy having an affair was ludicrous. Kayla just wouldn't believe such a thing.
"I should get back to…" She gestured vaguely to Rainy's desk. Marshall nodded and dropped back into his chair.
As Kayla moved back behind the desk, she noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor beneath the desk. She reached down and retrieved what proved to be another page from the egg-mining file. The fine hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. She got up and roamed the room looking for something…anything out of place. Why were these files missing? Had they been with Rainy? In a briefcase in the car maybe?
"Marshall, did the police return anything to you from Rainy's car? A briefcase maybe?"
"Just her purse. I'll show it —"
Kayla shushed him as a muffled sound from somewhere upstairs whispered over her senses. Instinctively she reached for her weapon in the shoulder holster beneath her lightweight dress jacket. "Marshall, have you been in the house all morning?"
He shook his head. "After the Millers left I went for a walk. Lost track of time. I'd just come back in when you called to tell me you were on your way here."
That's why she hadn't been able to reach him. She'd practically been at his driveway before she'd gotten him on the phone.
"Did you leave any windows open upstairs?" Listening intently, she stared upward as if somehow she might see through the floor.
He shook his head. "I never open the windows. Not in the heat of the summer, anyway. I just let the A/C do its job."
"What about Mr. and Mrs. Miller?" Kayla was already moving toward the hall.
"They slept in the downstairs guest suite," he said, looking more bewildered by the moment. "I don't think —"
"Listen to me carefully, Marshall," she murmured as she reached the door, and heard yet another vague sound. "I'm going upstairs to check something out. If shots are fired or if you hear anything suspicious, call 911 and get a unit sent over here ASAP." Her gaze collided with his startled one. "Stay right here. Don't leave this room."
"What is it?" he demanded frantically.
She motioned for him to stay quiet, then pointed at the phone before slipping out of the room. "Remember what I said."
She eased into the entry hall, toward the stairs. If her instincts were right, Marshall had company.
Her weapon drawn, her step silent, Kayla climbed the stairs. She stilled when another soft rustle touched her auditory senses. Fabric against fabric.
Curtains.
Window. Marshall had insisted that he'd left no windows open, but he was overwrought. Still, Kayla couldn't take any chances. There were too many unanswered questions here. Like the whole priority case thing. Who had labeled this a priority case besides her? The autopsy being priority didn't mean the accident investigation itself would be one. She'd have to find out how that had happened.
If there was an intruder he'd likely deemed a hasty retreat necessary at this point.
Her instincts on point, Kayla reached the second-story landing and quickly moved from one open doorway to the next. Each bedroom proved empty — undisturbed — until she reached the last one at the far end of the corridor.
The curtains swished softly against the window frame.
Kayla moved across the room in four long strides. But she was too late. If anyone had been in the house, he or she had already disappeared into the maze of houses and yards that flanked Rainy's quiet home in the center of the cul-de-sac.
Swearing softly, Kayla closed the window and locked it. Something crinkled beneath her left foot. She crouched down to find another page from Rainy's files. More Internet research on egg mining.
Her sixth sense screamed at her now, telling her there had been someone in the house. In Rainy's home office. This egg-mining thing appeared to be a part of whatever the hell was going on. Alex's discoveries during the autopsy seemed to back up that theory. No appendectomy had been performed. Appendix still intact. Scarred ovaries. Egg mining scarred the ovaries.
Kayla considered that long-ago incident. She needed more information. How might an appendectomy that never happened be connected to Rainy's current fertility research?
Could Rainy's medical history somehow have played a part in her death? Kayla and Alex would need to discuss this possibility, but first Kayla needed more information…more substantial evidence. Since most of Rainy's pertinent personal files had apparently been taken, Kayla supposed she could start with the doctor who'd been treating Rainy's infertility. Dr. Halburg. She could cross-reference whatever she discovered with whatever Alex learned from Rainy's Athena Academy records.
"Get out of my house, you bastard!"
Marshall's shout jerked Kayla back to her feet.
"What the hell?" She shoved the page from the file into her pocket as she stormed toward the stairs, her weapon still drawn and ready.
Had the intruder somehow circled the house and reentered through the front door? Didn't make sense to Kayla but, then again, not all criminals made sense. He must have hidden when Marshall entered the house and remained so until Kayla had started nosing around. Going out the window had been his only option. He'd be pretty dumb to come back inside now.
Halfway down the stairs she chucked that possibility. The man Marshall had shouted at and looked ready to tear into was David Gracelyn.
The two of them had an affair years ago.
Kayla still wasn't prepared to believe that Rainy had ever cheated on Marshall. No way.
"Just tell me what happened, Carrington!"
The sound of hurt and devastation in David Gracelyn's voice gave Kayla pause at the bottom of the stairs. Instinctively she analyzed his posture, his expression, his tone. His dark brown eyes looked sunken in his handsome face. Dark circles spoke of a sleepless night. His wide shoulders were slumped in defeat. He looked much as Kayla felt, like someone who'd lost a loved one.
"Get the hell out of my house!"
This time Marshall made a dive for David. About the same age, both strong, athletic men, she had no doubt that the two would rip each other apart if she didn't intervene.
Kayla shoved her weapon into its holster and pushed between the two men. "Enough!"
Before he could catch himself, the full-body shove Marshall had intended to land Gracelyn against the wall came hard into Kayla. The air rushed out of her lungs at the impact but she recovered quickly, steadying Marshall as he lost his balance. Her heart hammered in her chest. Dammit, what the hell was wrong with these two?
"God, Kayla, are you all right?"
"I'm okay." She released him and tried to shake off the buzz of high-octane adrenaline. She looked from one to the other. "What the hell has gotten into you two? This is not the time."
There was no need to remind either of them that Rainy was dead. Obviously, both men had cared for her. Kayla didn't have time right now to analyze that conundrum.
Gracelyn offered wearily, "I've called a dozen times. He —" he glared at Marshall "— won't take my calls. I want to know what happened." He forked his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe…she's gone."
"You son of a bitch!" Marshall shouted, renewed hurt in his voice.
"I hope I'm not interrupting."
Kayla whirled around at the sound of yet another male voice. A tall man, his suit slightly rumpled, stood in the wide-open entrance to the Carrington home. He had a pleasant face, a little too rugged to be handsome, but friendly enough. A day's beard growth shadowed his jaw. Who the hell was this guy?
"I called 911!" Marshall shouted at Gracelyn over Kayla, ignoring the newcomer entirely.
Damn. Kayla had hoped he hadn't bothered. Why was it men never listened? Backup wasn't necessary now. For that matter, Gracelyn could have been the one in the house, although one look at the despondent man told her that was highly unlikely.
"You called the cops?" Gracelyn howled like a wounded animal.
"We don't need the cops," Kayla assured him, in hopes of defusing their tempers.
"I'm a cop," the stranger put in, reminding her of his unwanted presence once more.
Kayla held up a hand to halt whatever Gracelyn or Marshall would have said next. "Boys! Give me a minute." Her scathing tone left them both speechless. Thankful for the reprieve, she ushered Marshall into the den. "Don't do this," she urged. "You know how Rainy hated confrontation. We don't need this kind of scene. Let me handle things."
"The Millers could be back at any minute. I don't want them to hear…" His voice trailed off in anguish.
The adrenaline rush of the moment had come and gone, leaving her weary. "Just stay put while I get rid of these guys." No point in bitching at him for calling 911. She'd brought the subject up, had no one to blame but herself for the dramatics.
She left Marshall in the den to lick his wounds and carefully closed the door behind her as she went back into the entry hall. "I'm sorry, David," she said to Gracelyn, ignoring the other man for a moment. "This has been tough on Marshall."
He nodded. "I don't want to be pushed out like this. Rainy was…"
Kayla didn't think she could bear to hear this right now. Especially not in front of a stranger. She swallowed hard and dredged up the courage to say what had to be said. "The funeral arrangements haven't been finalized. I'll give you a call when I have those details, as well as anything else I think you might want to know."
He nodded again but this time he remained silent, his head hung in defeat.
"Go home, David." She gently ushered him toward the door. She didn't spare the cop so much as a glance as he stepped out of the way. "Call me if you need anything else. Coming here isn't a good idea."
"Call me," David urged as he walked away.
Kayla couldn't help empathizing with him. So many people had loved Rainy…would miss her desperately.
As David Gracelyn's car pulled away from the curb she noted the other one parked there. It took two seconds for Kayla to surmise that, though it wasn't a police cruiser, it likely belonged to the tall guy in the wrinkled suit. Last time she checked, wrinkled suits weren't the usual issue for street cops in Tucson. Which could mean only one thing…he wasn't a regular cop.
She reentered the house and closed the door. If the Millers arrived she wanted some advance warning. Kayla looked the cop up and down. "I didn't know you guys had special uniforms for Sundays."
He gave her the same treatment. "Ditto."
Well, he had her there. She'd set out to investigate the crash site and had come here right after church. The Sunday-go-to-meeting dress suit and three-inch heels weren't her usual workfare, but there was no help for it. Somehow this guy didn't look as if he'd haunted a church in quite some time.
"Detective Peter Hadden." He flashed his credentials. "I suppose you're Lieutenant Ryan."
"That's right." Detective? Hmm. Why would a detective respond to a 911 call? And how did he know her name? "To what do I owe the honor of getting a full-fledged detective on a simple breaking-and-entering call?"
"I happened to be at the precinct when your call came in and since the Carrington residence is in my jurisdiction I thought I'd take the call." He cocked his head and surveyed her a bit closer. "Mr. Carrington mentioned you were already here when he called."
So he knew her name because of Marshall's call.
"Didn't miss anything important, did I?" he continued in the arrogant tone that had started to grate on her nerves pretty much from the moment he opened his mouth. "Mr. Carrington indicated to the operator that there might be an intruder. Is that who you just escorted out?"
She pushed a smile into place and tamped down the irritation in her throat. "Unfortunately, if there was an intruder he got away," she said, glad to let him know he'd probably wasted his valuable time.
The detective rubbed his chin and the motion made her shiver. In revulsion, she assured herself, as her gaze took in his strong hand. Kayla blinked. Gave herself a mental slap in the face. What the hell was with her today?
"So no damage was done," he pressed, clearly annoyed to have been called out this Sunday afternoon.
She could lie, but that wasn't the way she'd been trained. Just because she didn't like this guy didn't mean she could behave unprofessionally. At least not any more than she already had. "It appears someone has rifled through Ms. Carrington's office. It's hard to tell if anything is actually missing," she added with just as much annoyance as he'd shown her.
That piercing blue gaze narrowed on hers. "Thanks for the heads-up, Ryan. But you should remember that this is my jurisdiction. Lorraine Carrington's death, as well as anything connected to her life, is my case now. I don't mind you looking into your friend's death. But, in the future, when you want to look at the vehicle impounded by forensics or anything else related to this ongoing case, you will consult me first."
"Whoa!" She threw up her hands stop-sign fashion, fury bolting through her. "What the hell are you talking about?" The accident hadn't happened in Tucson jurisdiction. She said as much, then wondered, furious, if Fred had ratted her out. Surely not.
"It is now," Hadden countered smoothly, taking a defiant step nearer. "Just give the chief in Casa Grande a call if you don't want to take my word on it."
She hated the way his nearness made her foolish senses react, making her feel as if she'd run five miles in the midday heat. How could he do that and infuriate her at the same time?
Not to be outdone, she took the final step between them and stared right back up into that penetrating gaze. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, Detective, but Rainy Carrington was my friend and I'm not about to back off for you or anyone else."
"Fine." Full lips that she hadn't noticed before offered a begrudging smile. She blinked, jerked back a step. "I've always been a huge fan of teamwork," he tacked on.
Kayla had the distinct impression she'd just been one-upped.
Whatever. As long as he didn't get in her way, she'd be happy to play on his team.
At least now she knew where the priority had come from. What she didn't know was why.
"Final warning, Jazz!" Kayla shouted down the hall in hopes of prompting her sleepyheaded daughter from bed. It was 6:15 already. They had to be out of here by 7:30. Starting back to school after summer vacation was always tough. Kayla remembered how difficult early morning wake-ups were after a summer of staying up all night and sleeping all morning.
Her telephone rang, dragging her attention from memories of long, hot summers spent on the reservation with her grandmother. Kayla skirted the sofa and grabbed the receiver before a second ring could split the air.
"Ryan." She hoped Jim wasn't going to call in sick this morning. She needed today to focus on Rainy's case. He would have to follow up on the jewelry store robbery.
"It's Alex. An intruder was in the morgue at the hospital. He was trying to do something to Rainy."
Kayla dropped onto the sofa, her gut instantly tying into knots. She'd tossed and turned all night last night when she'd finally gone to bed. Hours of reviewing the information she had thus far had accomplished nothing. And there was Detective Hadden. They'd gotten off on the wrong foot. She'd even tried to tell herself that they were all overreacting…no one would want to hurt Rainy. But she'd been wrong. Alex's words drove home that point as nothing else could have. The idea that some Tucson detective was interested in the case only made it more real.
This wasn't a mere nightmare…it was real. Rainy was dead. Someone wanted her that way.
"We've got to get her out of there," Kayla said, her voice reflecting the urgency roaring through her veins, "and back on Athena turf."
After they discussed the logistics of moving Rainy, Kayla told her friend about Fred's conclusions on the seatbelt. About the missing files at Rainy's home office and the information Marshall had given her about Rainy's fertility treatment. Alex was in agreement: they had to proceed on the assumption that Rainy had been murdered.
"I'll make the arrangements with Marshall to have her moved," Kayla offered. The actual autopsy was finished. Moving the body now would be entirely up to the family. Unless Detective Hadden gave her any grief. She'd just have to make sure it got done before he knew it was coming.
Dread curled in Kayla's gut all over again when she considered that someone had tried to touch Rainy. Alex agreed to follow Rainy's body to Athens. Kayla would check in at the office and tie up any loose ends so she could concentrate on Rainy's case.
Immediately after ending the call with Alex, Kayla spoke with Marshall regarding the move. He agreed to her request and told her that he'd started the funeral arrangements. Shortly after that she confirmed that the medical examiner would release Alex's body today and it would be transferred to Athens under Alex's careful watch.
"Jazz!"
Kayla pushed aside all theories for the moment. Right now she had to get her daughter to school.
By late afternoon Rainy's body had been moved to the safety of the small Athens morgue. Kayla had requested a security guard for the body 24/7. With that base covered, she picked up her daughter from school and dropped Jazz at her sister's, with a stern warning that all homework had better be done by the time Kayla got home.
With that taken care of, she headed back to Tucson and Rainy's law office. Dr. Halburg was out of town. Unreachable. That left Kayla only one other option. There was always a chance she kept some personal files at the office.
It was well past five when she arrived, but Kayla had contacted one of the senior partners, who had instructed housekeeping to allow Kayla into Rainy's office. Marshall had also authorized her admittance.
Kayla tried not to let that awkward moment between her and Marshall pop back into her thoughts, but it somehow managed to all the same.
She heaved a sigh and assured herself that it was some sort of hormonal misfire. She and Marshall had both been distraught. Stress pushed people to do things they wouldn't otherwise do. Death made a person want to reach out to another living soul. She should stop beating herself up about it. Nothing had happened.
Then there was that damned detective. Kayla parked in the elegantly landscaped parking lot of Rainy's law firm. In well over a dozen years she hadn't had this much trouble with men. Why now? Maybe Rainy's death had triggered some sort of biological mating clock Kayla didn't know existed. As if she was running out of time to go for a real relationship.
"Truly moronic," she muttered as she slid from her vehicle.
The soaring contemporary angles and towering glass walls of the law office reflected the last of the sun's heat as it slowly sank for the day. Hot. Hot. Hot. Kayla pulled her shirt loose from her damp skin. When it got this hot, humidity or no, a person was going to sweat.
She studied the generous proportions of the building as she crossed the lot. It fit with Rainy's level of sophistication. Her Harvard law degree belonged on the wall of a joint like this. No shabby dump of an office for Rainy.
Kayla stared at the huge wreath on the door for a moment before she rapped on the tinted glass and waited for someone to allow her entrance. The tender white carnations had already wilted in the heat, but they were a tribute to the great lady this firm had lost. It was the least they could do.
"Lieutenant Ryan?" the dark-haired woman asked nervously as she poked her head out the door.
"Yes, ma'am." Kayla flashed her ID.
The woman introduced herself as Josephina Gonzales then ushered Kayla inside and locked the door behind her. "This way," she said before scurrying across the lobby toward a corridor that disappeared behind a row of upholstered waiting-room chairs.
Kayla took her time, absorbing the ambiance of the office. She'd been here a couple of times over the years, but not recently. That bit of irony stung. Rainy had lived this close and somehow they hadn't gotten together nearly as often as they should have. Kayla hadn't even known about Rainy's fertility problems.
Or the affair, another little voice taunted.
She forced that notion away. No way had Rainy cheated on Marshall.
Josephina unlocked Rainy's office and stepped aside. "You look long as you want to. I lock up after."
Kayla nodded and watched the woman rush off to continue her work. Whether she simply wanted to put off what she had to do or was simply tired, Kayla couldn't say, but for one reason or the other, she hesitated.
Rainy would never come here again. Never again do the outstanding work for which she'd earned a reputation. Never make love with Marshall again. Never have children.
The overwhelming emotions hit Kayla so swiftly that she scarcely grabbed the wall in time before her knees buckled.
She let herself feel the wave of hurt and sadness for a few moments, then she sucked it up and stepped into Rainy's professional domain.
For more than an hour she set aside all emotion and searched Rainy's desk, her credenza and then the file cabinets and bookshelves.
Nothing.
Not a damned thing about her personal life existed in this office except the framed photograph of her and Marshall placed lovingly on her credenza for all to see upon entering her office. There was a tube of lip gloss, a pack of breath mints and nothing else. Not a single note or appointment in her calendar that jumped out at Kayla. Nothing on her computer.
She tapped a few keys and did a search on the history of anywhere Rainy had been on the World Wide Web.
A smile broadened Kayla's lips. Finally. The site where Rainy may have gotten the egg-mining information. "Now we're cooking with gas," Kayla muttered. She dove into the site, plowing through page after page.
The sound of a footfall in the corridor jerked her head up.
Kayla sat dead still. Listened.
"Josephina," she called out.
No answer.
Not good.
Though she didn't hear another footfall, she felt the change in the atmosphere around her. Silence. Yet someone had moved closer to her position. He or she hadn't made a sound but Kayla knew someone was there. Definitely not Josephina.
Her weapon was in her hand before the thought was fully formed in her brain.
Kayla edged as close as possible to the office door and held her breath.
She listened intently for sound…still nothing.
Kayla readied herself, tightening her grip on her weapon. It was now or never. One of them had to make a move. She'd never been a patient woman. Delayed gratification was definitely overrated.
She gave herself to the count of three and then she swung around the doorway to face the threat, leveling her weapon on the first thing that moved.
She stared into the ominous black barrel of a nine-millimeter.
Detective Peter Hadden.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
His tone was about as friendly as a malcontented pit bull's.
"I could ask you the same thing," she tossed right back. Neither of them appeared inclined to lower his or her weapon, which was fine by her. She didn't trust this guy…yet. Damned if he wasn't wearing another of those rumpled suits. This one in navy. The color accented his eyes. Dammit. Just her luck. He looked even better this time than he had the first time she'd had the displeasure of running into him.
"Lieutenant Ryan," he said tightly, "must I remind you that this is my case?" He lowered his weapon, his movements every bit as stiff as his tone as he holstered it. "Now, what are you doing here?"
Reluctantly, Kayla lowered and holstered her own weapon. It might have been easier to simply shoot him, but then, she didn't want to have to explain that one to her boss. Besides, she often reminded those she collared of her favorite motto, Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. She had a daughter to raise. Going to prison for killing an arrogant detective wasn't on the agenda.
Neither was sleeping with one.
Where the hell had that thought come from?
Kayla shoved aside the stupid conversation going on inside her head and focused. That he unsettled her like this pissed her off. "I'm investigating Lorraine Carrington's death," she said bluntly. Why beat around the bush? Her intent must be obvious. "I have permission from Marshall Carrington, as well as the senior law partner of this firm to be here. How about you?"
Detective Hadden considered her comment a moment then said, "I have a warrant."
So he'd one-upped her again. Swell.
"That means you'd better come clean or the sheriff will be getting a call."
Kayla's gaze narrowed suspiciously. "I thought we were going to make like team players on this." Jerk. She should have known better than to trust a guy who looked good in a rumpled suit. Especially the kind who could loosen his tie and the top button of his shirt and still look sophisticated.
He leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his wider-than-she'd-noticed-last-time chest. Okay, so the guy looks damn good. Get over it. He's probably a rob-ho detective. The only thing worse than robbery-homicide detectives were the narcotics guys. Narcs were way over the edge. Either way, he'd likely long forgotten what it was like to be a real cop.
"All right, Ryan. Give it to me straight and we'll do the team thing."
She moistened her lips and bit back the first hit of sarcasm that sprang to her tongue. She'd just see how serious this guy was. "Maybe I don't have any real proof for why I'm here. Maybe it's just a hunch." She knew better than that…felt it in every single cell of her body. The intruder at the Carrington home, then at the morgue. Stuff like that didn't go down without reason.
He shrugged, one of those aloof, male gestures that meant he didn't know what else you wanted him to say.
She planted her hands on her hips and gave him what he wanted. "Someone killed my friend. I don't know how or why, but I intend to find out."
He considered her blunt statement a moment, his face impassive. "The Carringtons appear to be financially secure."
Ah…the good detective was fishing.
"That's right. Rainy is…was a lawyer. This firm is one of the best."
"And Mr. Carrington is an archaeology professor at the University of Arizona," he stated.
"Right again." There was something smug in his voice when he spoke of Marshall. Kayla didn't like that. It made her more suspicious of him.
Without another word he moved past her and into Rainy's office. "You said that there were personal files missing from her home office. Is anything missing here?"
"Not that I can tell. But that doesn't mean anything." She ventured into the suddenly too-small space behind him.
"Don't play games with me, Lieutenant." He swiveled on his heel and glared at her. "Just answer the question."
Kayla resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'll tell you what, Detective, let's make this a little more equal. You tell me something, I'll tell you something."
He propped a hip on Rainy's polished mahogany desk. "Fair enough, I suppose."
She wondered if fair would play into this in the end. Most detectives she knew didn't want regular cops horning into their territory.
"I'm concerned that there are facts about Ms. Carrington's accident that don't make sense just yet."
"Such as," Kayla prodded when he was slow to continue.
"Such as the seatbelt's malfunction. Of course, that in and of itself wouldn't be sufficient evidence to warrant my uneasiness with the facts." He scrubbed at the five o'clock shadow on his chin. The move made her shiver just like before, and she wanted to kick herself for the reaction. "My turn."
"Shoot." She glanced at his weapon. "No pun intended."
He didn't smile. "Why did you have Ms. Carrington's body moved without asking my permission?"
He kept his expression carefully schooled but Kayla didn't miss the barest flicker of irritation or impatience.
"I didn't need your permission." Why pretend? It was the truth.
He nodded, his lips pursed in open admission that he'd been one-upped this time. "Let's cut to the chase," he said, after mulling over her response. "Why are you doing this?" He held up a hand to stall her so he could add, "I know she was your friend, but there has to be some reason you feel a personal responsibility to investigate this case yourself. You know that being personally involved distorts your objectivity."
There were things she couldn't tell him. Like the affair Marshall had mentioned and Rainy's nonexistent appendectomy. Not yet. She didn't have enough information herself. She certainly wasn't about to cast doubt on Rainy's reputation or possibly that of Athena Academy until she did. But she had to give him something if she intended to keep a spot on his team.
"More than ten years ago," she began, giving in and relaxing a bit in spite of herself, "Rainy and I were in school at Athena Academy together. There were seven of us who were especially close." She shrugged. "A team." She blocked the memories that instantly bloomed. Couldn't go there just now. "Anyway, we made a special promise that we would always be there for each other, no matter what, and would come to help if called, no questions asked."
"Like sorority sisters," he suggested, his own stance softening a little. That rugged profile not quite so flinty.
"Right," she allowed. "A few days ago Rainy called all of us. She didn't give any details, but she said she needed to invoke the promise. Her tone was distinctly urgent. So we came together at the time and location of her choosing, but it was too late."
It took every ounce of strength Kayla possessed to keep her emotions at bay. The memory of Rainy's call, the urgency in her voice…the utter desperation.
"So you believe because she called all of you together for this promise that it means something about her death is amiss?"
Kayla looked him square in the eyes. "I don't believe, I know. Something is wrong here and I intend to find out what."
Detective Hadden straightened, pushing off the desk to his full height. "Then I suggest you come completely clean, Lieutenant, because I can't help feeling you're holding back on me."
Her cell phone beeped, giving her a reprieve. "Excuse me," she said to the detective before turning away. She flipped open the phone. "Ryan."
"Kayla, this is Marshall. The Millers and I are here with the funeral director."
"Yeah, Marshall, is there something I can do?"
"I've tentatively scheduled Rainy's service and I wanted to run the date and details by you."
The rest of the conversation was pretty much a blur of information, and only one thing stood out in Kayla's mind. The day that Rainy's body would be lowered into the ground. She almost lost her hold on her emotions before the call ended, but she managed to keep it together. She had no intention of showing that kind of vulnerability to this stranger.
When she'd ended the call she turned her attention back to the man waiting for her response to his question. She wanted to get this conversation over with. She had to call the Cassandras…had to find a way to complete her search of Rainy's office computer without him hovering over her. They might have to work together on this case since, technically, he had jurisdiction for some reason, but she wasn't ready to surrender all she knew just yet.
She locked her determined gaze onto his intent blue one. "You're just going to have to trust me, Detective. I'm basing part of my certainty upon a promise I made more than a decade ago." She wanted to demand how he'd wrangled jurisdiction and why. Wanted to know why he'd labeled the case priority. But those questions would only give him an excuse to push her for answers she wasn't prepared to give just yet. But, make no mistake, she would know all there was to know about Detective Peter Hadden before this was finished.
He searched her eyes, her face, for three beats before relenting, "You don't leave me much choice, Lieutenant." He shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to assume that if you'd go to all this trouble to make good on a promise that old, you wouldn't hold out on me unless you felt it was absolutely necessary."
Damn but he was good. He knew she was holding out on him in spite of her best efforts to make him feel otherwise.
"Then I guess we understand each other," she offered.
"Well." He glanced around the room. "I'll let you get back to your hunch."
Startled at his complete about-face, Kayla followed him into the corridor, then all the way back to the lobby. She saw Josephina taking a smoke break outside. Kayla would just bet that Hadden had told her to wait there. The only question was, who had tipped him off that she'd be here?
He hesitated before leaving. His gaze settled onto hers one last time. "I'm counting on you keeping your promise, Lieutenant."
Before she could respond, he walked out into the fading Arizona sun. The door closed behind him, leaving Kayla undecided as to whether he was friend or foe.
One thing was certain. He needn't worry. Nothing would stop her from keeping that promise.
Tuesday turned out to be one of those days from hell in a cop's life.
The temperature had reached the 106 degrees Fahrenheit mark and every Looney Tune in and around Athens had rushed to run a red light, decided speed limits were only recommendations and gotten in squabbles with their neighbors over the lack of water pressure in the neighborhood.
By the time she got home, prepared dinner and helped Jazz with her homework, Kayla was ready for that long relaxing bath she'd been promising herself all day.
As soon as she sank into the tub of gloriously scented water, she heard the phone ring. She prayed it would not be Detective Hadden. She'd managed to get through a full twenty-four hours without interference from him. She wanted to keep it that way. Maybe it was Marshall calling back with more funeral information. He and the Millers had changed their minds so many times that Kayla wasn't sure there would be a funeral.
A part of her would rather not have to say that kind of permanent goodbye to Rainy. But it had to happen eventually.
"Mom!" Jazz shouted through the door. "It's for you!"
"Come on in," she mumbled, not one bit pleased at the prospect of having to take a call while she was trying to relax.
Jazz brought the phone to her, her expression almost as annoyed as Kayla's must surely be. She couldn't help smiling. Like mother like daughter. "Thanks, sweetie."
Her daughter loped off to whatever television program she'd been watching or computer game she'd been absorbed in.
"Ryan."
"Was that Jasmine?"
Alex.
Kayla tensed. "Yeah. That was Jazz." She and Alex had never, not once, discussed the child Kayla had given birth to out of wedlock. It wasn't the whole "not married thing" that had gotten Alex so riled up. It was the fact that Kayla had fooled around with the forbidden in her last year at Athena. Had altered the entire course of her life. Alex, who was a year ahead of the other Cassandras and had already graduated and gone on to college, had tried to set her straight, but Kayla had been blinded by what she'd thought to be true love. They'd argued bitterly over the phone and hadn't spoken for years. Until this week.
"She sounds…so grown-up."
For one second Kayla had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something she knew she would regret. But Alex's sigh on the other end of the line told her she didn't have to say it. She knew how much time had passed without her once asking about Jazz.
"There's something you should know."
Kayla sat up straighter as she listened to Alex explain why she hadn't heard from her in more than twenty-four hours as well. She'd been busy. She had confirmed with the medical examiner that the scars on Rainy's ovaries were very old. Something dark passed through Kayla. The damage could have occurred back when the supposed appendectomy had taken place. The memory of that egg-mining article and its implications when combined with this new information slammed into Kayla. She forced herself to focus on the rest of the call.
Just when she'd thought she'd heard the worst, Alex dropped another bombshell. Last night she'd tracked but lost an intruder on Athena grounds. The same as Kayla had done at Rainy's house. Then today Alex had discovered a man claiming to be FBI in the Athena Academy infirmary going through the files! He'd gotten away, using Athena Academy nurse Betsy Stone's arrival as a distraction.
"Christ, Alex, are you sure there wasn't something else?" And here Kayla had thought she'd had an eventful day.
Silence emanated across the line for too long before Alex said, "I've got a bad feeling about this, Kayla. Could Rainy's death have something to do with Athena?"
Hearing Alex voice the same worry she had been experiencing only compounded the anxiety. It couldn't be.
Neither of them had any real proof, so further discussion of the topic was pointless for now. Alex would be leaving the next day to go back to her job in Washington, D.C., but she'd be back for the funeral. Kayla promised to follow up on the files at Athena Academy to see if she could find anything out of sync. She also made a mental note to talk to Betsy Stone. Betsy had been with Athena Academy from the start, and would have been there when Rainy got sick. Maybe she could shed some light on the subject.
Before ending the call, Kayla gave Alex the scoop on her detective shadow. Alex remained oddly distant on the subject. Kayla tried not to read too much into it. Maybe she was overreacting. The past few days were certainly enough to make anyone a little paranoid.
When Kayla depressed the "end" button on the cordless receiver, she realized something else. In working together on Rainy's case, she and Alex had taken another tiny, tiny baby step closer to resolving the issue standing between them.
It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Wednesday afternoon Kayla parked her Jeep on the Athena grounds and headed toward the building where the medical facility was located. She'd already called Christine, so there was no need to stop by the principal's office in the main building. She still hadn't been able to reach Betsy Stone, but she had Christine's permission to enter the infirmary. The door would be unlocked and waiting for her.
The medical facility was located in the same building as the computer and science labs. The familiar sights and smells of the academy raked across Kayla's already raw emotions. Memories of Alex and Rainy, as well as the others, tripped one over the other through her thoughts. Why did it always take a tragedy to make a person realize how much they missed their friends? She had to stop letting life get in the way of living. Silly as that sounded, it made sense.
Then and there Kayla made a promise to herself that she would work on her "living" skills. Spend more time with her daughter and family. Keep in touch with the Cassandras…make things right with Alex. The hurtful words they'd hurled at each other all those years ago stung her now. Foolish, foolish. She hadn't been thinking. She'd been in love. She'd been a fool. Last night's call from Alex had reiterated that glaring fact.
But Kayla would never regret Jazz. Her daughter was worth the hurt she had suffered. That out-of-control time in her life should not have affected her relationship with Alex. He hadn't been worth that price. Thinking of Jazz's father reminded her of the fact that a woman couldn't trust a man…not really. Although Kayla's father and grandfather were exceptions, admittedly.
She pushed the thoughts of her pathetic love life from her mind.
But Detective Hadden popped right back in their place.
Instantly a flash of awareness rushed through her. Kayla hissed a curse under her breath. The very last thing she needed was any kind of attraction to that guy. He was going to be nothing but a pain in the ass. Hadn't he proven that already by sneaking up on her at Rainy's office? He'd be right behind her through every step of this investigation. She glanced around. Hell, he was probably following her now.
Oh, well. She'd deal with him when the time came.
She'd spent more than a decade making sure no man got to her again. Detective Hadden would be no exception. Not professionally and definitely not personally.
The infirmary was quiet as a tomb. The nurse's office proved just as deserted.
"Dammit." Kayla could only assume that Nurse Stone had not gotten her message or was avoiding her. But Christine had given Kayla permission to do whatever she needed to, so Betsy Stone's absence wouldn't slow her down. Yet, she wanted to question the woman. To see what she remembered.
Kayla wasted no time in locating Rainy's medical file. A stab of disappointment sliced through her when she read the entry regarding Rainy's emergency appendectomy. She'd hoped that maybe she and Alex had been mistaken about the incident but they weren't. It was here in black and white. Alex had said that the form Christine had emailed to her said as much, but Kayla had hoped something in the hard copies of the file would indicate otherwise.
She removed the file from the drawer and headed to the copy machine to make herself a duplicate. As the machine warmed up she considered what this evidence really meant. Could it be a simple medical error? Or was it more? The image of tiny eggs, Rainy's eggs, being removed from her ovaries formed in Kayla's head. She closed her eyes to stem the tears. Rainy had wanted a child so badly. She'd sought extraordinary measures…had somehow known something wasn't right. Had that fledgling assumption cost her life?
Kayla swayed. She reached for the copy machine. What the hell?
The room spun for an instant and then the floor was suddenly rushing up to greet her.
The world went black a split second before impact.
"Kayla, are you all right?"
Her eyes came open and she stared up at Christine Evans's worried face.
"What…what…" Kayla suddenly remembered the dizziness and the tile floor rushing up to her face. She winced as the pain from the fall acted as emphasis for the memory.
"Lieutenant Ryan, is there someone we can call to come pick you up?"
Kayla's gaze shifted to the other form hovering over her. The stern expression of Nurse Betsy Stone greeted her. The sudden recollection of attempting to get out of class by feigning a fever and being caught by Nurse Stone flashed through her mind.
"I'll be fine," Kayla insisted. She scrambled to her feet, realizing she'd been moved onto a cot in the examining room. She staggered slightly and the other women instinctively reached out to her. "Really," she said sharply as she backed from their reach. "I'm fine."
Christine nodded, accustomed to adolescent lashing-out episodes. "Sorry," Kayla murmured. "I don't know what happened."
"You're overwrought," Nurse Stone said gently. "That's to be expected. You probably just need a good night's sleep."
Kayla met her gaze and the older woman held it for a moment before looking away. "Thanks. I appreciate your concern." She'd thought herself above lashing out at someone who only wanted to help. Apparently the stress of Rainy's death and being here at the academy had sent her spiraling back to her roller-coaster teenage behavior.
"Did you find what you needed?" Christine inquired.
Kayla glanced around the room. "I was about to make a copy of Rainy's medical file." Outside the examining room, the copy machine was running, its soft hum audible. She moved as quickly as she dared to search the area around the copy machine. The file was nowhere to be seen.
"I'll get it for you," Nurse Stone offered. "I picked it up and put it away before you came around."
Confusion still clouded Kayla's head. "I'd like to take a copy with me." She turned to Christine as Betsy went to get the folder. "She wasn't here when I came in." It came out pretty much like an accusation. That might not be entirely fair. Most of the girls at Athena Academy had considered Nurse Stone a bit of a hard-ass, but Kayla really had no evidence to accuse her of wrongdoing.
"I saw your car in the parking lot and thought I'd check to see if you'd found everything you needed," Christine explained. "When I came in, you were lying there on the floor." She gestured to the space in front of the copy machine. "I immediately called the staff lounge and asked Betsy to hurry over."
Kayla swung her attention to the nurse as she returned with the file. "I thought you weren't here. I called —"
"I tried calling you back at your house this morning," Stone put in quickly. "But you were gone already. I never could get through on your cell phone. I didn't even know you were here. I was having a late lunch."
"Betsy has been getting ready for the new term," Christine added.
The whole scene felt off somehow. Maybe it was the lingering fog of having fainted.
"I have to get back to my office," Christine said, "but I'm sure Betsy will be glad to assist you."
"Certainly," the nurse chimed in.
Kayla had absolutely no justification for accusing either of these women of anything, but she wanted to. She wanted to grill them until one of them admitted to having known that Rainy's appendectomy was a hoax or something of that order. But the rational side of her knew that alienating the school principal or the nurse would be a mistake. She had to know more before she pushed.
She couldn't take any chances at all about what would or would not make good evidence…what was or wasn't a possible lead. Fertility issues, egg mining, medical records, even affairs. It was all fair game. All involved had to be suspects. Kayla could not risk letting something seemingly insignificant fall through the cracks. This case was far too important.
She knew exactly what she had to do. She had to start right here with Athena Academy and fan outward, tracing every step of Rainy's life until she found the answer. She'd also have to find a way to work with or around Detective Peter Hadden and maintain access to any information he uncovered.
Nothing or no one could be allowed to get in her way.
She'd made a promise she intended to keep.